Familial aggregation and heritability of markers of metabolic risk, physical activity, and physical fitness in nuclear families from Muzambinho (Minas Gerais, Brazil).

Objective: This study investigated the familial aggregation and heritability of markers of metabolic risk, physical activity, and physical fitness in nuclear families from Muzambinho (Minas Gerais, Brazil).

Subjects And Methods: The study included members of 139 families, comprising 97 fathers (aged 40 ± 7 years), 129 mothers (35 ± 6 years), 136 sons (12 ± 4 years), and 121 daughters (12 ± 5 years). Evaluated markers included (A) body mass index, waist circumference, glycemia, and cholesterolemia, as metabolic risk markers; (B) total weekly volume of physical activity, as a physical activity marker; and (C) relative muscle strength, as a physical fitness marker.

Biological and behavioral correlates of body weight status among rural Northeast Brazilian schoolchildren.

Objectives: The increase in the prevalence of overweight/obesity in youth is a public health problem worldwide; however, few studies have investigated its prevalence and correlates in children from the Brazilian Northeast region rural zone. The purpose of this study was (1) to estimate the prevalence of children's weight status according to sex, age, and birth weight categories; and (2) to investigate the links between biological and behavioral factors and weight categories.

Methods: The sample comprises 501 children (248 girls), aged 7-10 years, classified as low weight, normal weight, overweight, and obese using body mass index cut-points.

The Oporto mixed-longitudinal growth, health and performance study. Design, methods and baseline results.

Background: Studies concerning child and adolescent growth, development, performance and health aimed at the multiple interactions amongst this complex set of variables are not common in the Portuguese speaking countries.

Aim: The aim of this paper is to address the key ideas, methodology and design of the Oporto Growth, Health and Performance Study (OGHPS).

Subjects And Methods: The OGHPS is a multidisciplinary mixed-longitudinal study whose main purpose is to examine the multiple interactions among biological, environmental and lifestyle indicators that affect growth, development, health and performance of Portuguese adolescents aged 10-18 years old.

Developmental and physical-fitness associations with gross motor coordination problems in Peruvian children.

The aims of this cross-sectional study were to examine the developmental characteristics (biological maturation and body size) associated with gross motor coordination problems in 5193 Peruvian children (2787 girls) aged 6-14 years from different geographical locations, and to investigate how the probability that children suffer with gross motor coordination problems varies with physical fitness. Children with gross motor coordination problems were more likely to have lower flexibility and explosive strength levels, having adjusted for age, sex, maturation and study site. Older children were more likely to suffer from gross motor coordination problems, as were those with greater body mass index.

Skeletal Maturation, Body Size, and Motor Coordination in Youth 11-14 Years.

Purpose: The objective of this study is to estimate the relative contribution of biological maturation to variance in the motor coordination (MC) among youth and to explore gender differences in the associations.

Methods: Skeletal maturation (Tanner-Whitehouse 3), stature, body mass, and MC (Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder) were assessed in 613 youths, 284 boys and 329 girls 11-14 yr of age. Standardized residuals of skeletal age on chronological age were used as the estimate of skeletal maturity status independent of chronological age.

Relationship between physical activity, physical fitness and multiple metabolic risk in youths from Muzambinho's study.

Negative associations between physical activity (PA), physical fitness and multiple metabolic risk factors (MMRF) in youths from populations with low PA are reported. The persistence of this association in moderately-to highly active populations is not, however, well established. The aim of the present study was to investigate this association in a Brazilian city with high frequency of active youths.

Birthweight, body composition, and motor performance in 7- to 10-year-old children.

Aim: The aim of this study was to analyse the influence of birthweight on motor performance and body composition in children. Further, we investigated whether associations between birthweight and motor performance changed after adjustment for current height, body mass index (BMI), fat-free mass (FFM), and % body fat.

Method: A total of 483 children (251 males and 232 females) aged 7 to 10 years (mean 8.

Secular trends in physical fitness of Mozambican school-aged children and adolescents.

Objective: This study presents information about secular trends in physical fitness (PF) levels among Mozambican youth.

Methods: The sample comprises 3,851 subjects (1,791 boys; 2,060 girls) aged 8-15 years who were evaluated at three time points (1992, 1999, 2012). PF tests included handgrip strength, 10 m × 5 m shuttle-run, sit-and-reach, and 1-mile run/walk.

Multi-level modelling of physical activity in nuclear families.

Background: Few studies focus on the different dyadic relations among family members to study physical activity (PA) levels.

Aim: The aim was to investigate predictors and sources of variance of PA levels in nuclear families using multi-level modelling.

Subjects And Methods: The sample consisted of 2661 Portuguese four-member nuclear families (10 644 subjects).

Nutritional status and its association with physical fitness, physical activity and parasitological indicators in youths from rural Mozambique.

Background: Little information exists about the relationship of nutritional status and motor performance conditional on asymptomatic parasitemia in rural African children.

Aims: The aims of this study were to (1) determine if malnourished youths from rural African areas have lower levels of physical fitness (PF) and physical activity (PA) compared to normal weight youths, (2) verify the biological relevance of anthropometric criteria used to classify nutritional status in youth, and (3) determine the prevalence of parasitological indicators, and its association with nutritional status and PF.

Methods: The sample comprised 794 youths (6-17 years) from Calanga, a rural community in Mozambique.

Physical activity, physical fitness, gross motor coordination, and metabolic syndrome: focus of twin research in Portugal.

A very brief history of Portuguese twin research in sport and human movement sciences is presented. Recruitment procedures, zygosity determination, and phenotypes are given for twins and their parents from the mainland, and Azores and Madeira archipelagos. Preliminary findings are mostly related to physical activity, health-related physical fitness, gross motor coordination, neuromotor development, and metabolic syndrome traits.

Physical activity, fitness and the metabolic syndrome in rural youths from Mozambique.

Background: Except for North America and Europe, few studies have reported the association among physical activity (PA), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in youths, especially for rural African youth.

Aim: The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of PA levels, CRF, MetS and its indicators, and examine the association between these variables in a school-aged sample of youth from rural Mozambique.

Subjects And Methods: The sample included 209 children and adolescents aged 7-15 years old from Calanga, a rural community in Mozambique.

Genetics of physical activity and physical inactivity in humans.

Emerging evidence suggests that physical activity and sedentary behavior [reflected in physical inactivity (PI)], might be two different phenotypes that may have distinct underlying physiological mechanisms. The purpose of this review is to summarize the existing literature on the genetic determinants of PA and PI phenotypes in humans, considering them as distinct behaviors. Completed in January 2011, this review includes family studies, twin studies, association studies, genome-wide linkage studies and genome-wide association scan (GWAs) reporting different physical activity/inactivity-related phenotypes.

Genetic factors in familial aggregation of blood pressure of Portuguese nuclear families.

Background: Despite of the increase in the prevalence of hypertension in Portugal, the importance of genetic factors in blood pressure (BP) has not been studied extensively in our country.

Objectives: To verify the indirect presence of vertical transmission of genetic factors between parents and children in BP values, and to estimate the magnitude of genetic factors contributing for variation in BP values in the population.

Methods: Sample size comprises 367 individuals (164 parents and 203 children) pertaining the 107 nuclear families participating in 'Familias Activas' project, proceeding from different regions of North Portugal.

Age and sex differences in physical activity of Portuguese adolescents.

Purpose: This study sought to examine sex- and age-associated variations in physical activity (PA) among Portuguese adolescents aged 10-18 yr.

Methods: A total of 12,577 males and females at the primary or secondary education level were sampled across four regions of Portugal. PA was assessed by a questionnaire, producing four different indexes: work/school (WSI), sport (SI), leisure time (LI), and total physical activity index (PAI).

Anthropometric indicators of nutritional status: implications for fitness, activity, and health in school-age children and adolescents from Maputo, Mozambique.

Background: Studies are needed to test the relevance of the anthropometric criteria for health and well-being, particularly in developing countries.

Objective: The objective of the study was to identify the relevance of anthropometric indexes as indicators of nutritional status.

Design: The sample consisted of 2316 subjects (n = 1094 males, 1222 females) aged 6-18 y from Mozambique.